In the early years of the Chassidic movement, non-Jewish landowners would frequently imprison their Jewish tenants for failing to pay their debts. The Baal Shem Tov showed great concern for these poor families, and with boundless determination, he traveled from town to town, encouraging fellow Jews to contribute towards this great mitzvah of pidyon shvuim — “ransoming captives.”

Once, after a week of arduous efforts, the Baal Shem Tov succeeded in collecting the sum necessary to redeem a family imprisoned by a particularly stubborn landowner who had refused to release the family until he received every penny owed to him. It was not until Friday afternoon that the Baal Shem Tov was able to amass the entire sum and thus, the members of the family were set free only a few short hours before Shabbat.

“Stay with me for Shabbat,” the Baal Shem Tov offered. “You will not be able to make it back to your town in time for candle lighting.”

Needless to say, the poor family was more than willing to accept the invitation. At the Shabbat meal, the Baal Shem Tov turned to the man he had ransomed. “So, what news have you heard today?”

The man looked up in wonder. “But Rebbe, what news could have reached the pit in which we were imprisoned? But now that you mention it, I have just recalled a strange experience I had while in prison.

“All week long, we would hear pitiful moans and wails coming from a corner in the pit where we were held prisoner. Each Friday afternoon, however, the crying would cease, only to be replaced by shrieking laughter that pierced our ears.

“This went on for weeks. My family and I were terrified to approach the nook where the noise came from, and we just huddled together in our corner.

“This week, however, the crying was louder than usual, as was the deafening laughter which took its place. Knowing that we were to be freed shortly, I perked up enough courage to shout in the direction from which the voiced emerged, ‘Who are you?’

“A voice responded from the far end of the pit. ‘We are unholy spirits whose existence depends on flaws in the behavior of a certain righteous ascetic Jew. He refrains from eating all week long, breaking his fast only on Friday. He prepares a mug of milk in the morning, setting it aside to drink when he concludes his morning prayers.

‘All week long, we are overwhelmed by the power of his righteousness. This is why we wail. Every Friday, however, we cause one of his household members to accidentally spill the milk and rouse the anger of the holy man. It is from this display of anger that we derive our power and existence.

‘This week, he was determined, more than ever, not to succumb to the folly of anger. Realizing that his expression of anger could negate all the spiritual achievements he had attained during the week, he resolved to prevent himself from being provoked. He decided to lock the closet in which he put the milk and to give no one the key.

‘That is why we were so upset this week,’ the voice explained. ‘We did not know how we would be able to rouse his wrath. However, we were not prepared to give up so easily. This morning, one of us appeared as a woodcutter, knocked on the tzadik‘s door, and offered his wife a bundle of wood at a bargain price.

‘Her purse was in the same closet as the milk and she requested the key from her husband. Anxious not to keep the woodcutter waiting, she knocked over the milk jug in her haste. Sure enough, the tzadik exploded in rage and thus, we had much to celebrate today.’”

The crowd of people at the Baal Shem Tov’s table listened in amazement to this strange story. Suddenly, one of his disciples fell down in a faint. He was known to fast the entire week.

Biographical note:Rabbi Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov [“master of the good Name”], a unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidic movement and his own identity as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734. He passed away on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He wrote no books, although many claim to contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated translation of Tzava’at Harivash, published by Kehos. An ongoing online translation of Sefer Baal Shem Tov can be found on www.baalshemtov.com.

[Yerachmiel Tilles is the director of the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. His mailing list of 800+ weekly stories (editor@ascentofsafed.com) is now in its 16th year. Ascent is a seminar-retreat center and hostel in Tzefat—call 972-4 692-1364 or in Israel 1-800 30-40-70.]

This Shabbat we read two Torah portions, Acharei and Kedoshim. In the beginning of Kedoshim we find three commandments:

1) “You shall be holy.”

2) “Every man shall fear his mother and father.”

3) “My Sabbaths you shall keep.”

Every word in the Torah is exacting and precise. As these three mitzvot appear together, it follows that there is a connection between them.

The first commandment in the sequence is “You shall be holy.” A Jew must be holy, distinct and apart from the nations of the world, for the Jewish people are unique. And yet, the holiness of the Jew, that which makes him different from the Gentile, is not expressed in his observance of mitzvot. A non-Jew is not commanded to keep the Torah’s mitzvot; he has no common ground or connection with them. Rather, the sanctity of the Jew is expressed in his daily behavior, in the way he performs the same mundane actions he seems to share with Gentiles. It must always be apparent that a Jew is different and holy, even when he eats and drinks and engages in business.

A Jew is always connected to G-d no matter where he is. Jews are a holy people; their holiness is maintained even when they are involved in the most mundane tasks of daily existence.

But it isn’t enough for a Jew to be holy. His function is to have a positive effect on his family and ensure that future generations of Jews will also conduct themselves with holiness. This is alluded to in the second commandment: “Every man shall fear his mother and father,” the mitzva of chinuch, education. A person’s first educators in life are his parents. From the earliest age a Jewish child’s mother and father imbue him with the sense that he is different, that he belongs to a holy people. How do we influence our children – and ourselves – to be different from all other nations? The answer is contained in the third commandment: “My Sabbaths you shall keep.” Shabbat is a sign between G-d and the Jewish people. It strengthens and emphasizes a Jew’s belief in the Creator of the world and His constant and ongoing supervision of everything that happens in it. Many non-Jews, even those who believe in G-d, mistakenly think that once the world was created, G-d left it under the control of natural forces, subject to the influence of the stars and planets. Jews, however, possess emuna, faith. The existence of the Jewish people is not dependent on nature; G-d watches and guides each and every Jew with His Divine providence. This is alluded to in the third commandment “My Sabbaths you shall keep,” for it is the Jew’s unique faith that assists him and strengthens his resolve to be holy.

(Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; material on this page reprinted from www.LchaimWeekly.org – LYO / NYC)

As Rashi notes, these words were transmitted during hakhel, the public gathering of the entire Jewish people. This teaches that the Torah demands that we be holy within the context of the Jewish community, not as ascetics removed from the world, uninvolved in communal matters.

(Torat Moshe)

You shall fear, every man, his mother and his father (Lev. 19:3)

The obligation to fear and honor one’s parents applies not only when one is too young to stand alone and needs their guidance and support. Rather, the mitzva applies even later, when one has matured and become a “man,” for even then parents must be afforded the proper honor.

(Ketav Sofer)

You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor (Lev. 19:16)

This prohibition also applies in the spiritual sense. If one encounters a Jew in danger of “drowning,” it is forbidden to stand by and do nothing. Rather, we are obligated to do all in our power to save him. If you ask, “Who am I to engage to saving souls?” Rashi comments that “It is forbidden to watch someone die when you can rescue him.” The fact that you have become aware of the other person’s situation is proof that you will be able to save him.